Photographers: You Can Help a Colleague in Need . . .
July/03/2009 Operation Smile Studios
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The PPA International Judging that I wrote about in my last post would have been perfect had it not been for a tragedy that happened to one of our fellow jurors, Gene Lista, a wonderful photographer and a super guy from Voorhees, NJ. After the conclusion of judging, just as he was about to leave for the airport to head home, Gene suddenly suffered a brain aneurism. He was immediately transported to a local hospital then transferred to Emory University Hospital, where he underwent surgery and was placed on a respirator and in a drug-induced coma to prevent additional swelling of the brain. The next day Gene’s wife, Barbara, flew to Atlanta, where she remains. That was two weeks ago. Fortunately, a wonderful group of “Georgia Angels” have stepped up to help Barbara. Ginny, an employee from the hotel who was there when Gene fell ill, has given Barbara a place to stay to help keep her expenses in Atlanta to a minimum. And those wonderful photography students from Gwinnett Tech — especially Amanda, Alley, and Kim — have helped Barbara get to and from the hospital and run other errands.
Friends and relatives from New Jersey also have come to Georgia to support the couple, and Gene is making progress, including periods of consciousness and communication in which doctors have determined that his brain is functioning well, but it will be a long time before Gene can return home. Many of the Lista’s friends have stepped up to help offset the terrible financial burden they are incurring. Photographers and strangers who had never met Gene before the judging are pitching in, which says a lot about our industry.
As Helen Yancy said in an email to judges: “Photographers have a wonderful history of supporting each other, and our brother needs everyone’s support. Therefore, I am suggesting we each make a donation in support of Gene and Barbara. We can do it through PPA Charities, which will make it a deductible donation, and while any amount will be helpful and appreciated, $25 from each of us will help offset the monstrous expenses that are being incurred.”
If you are a reader of this blog who wants to help, you can send a check made out to PPA Charities to Director Bert Behnke:
Bert Behnke
Behnke Fine Portraiture/PPA Charities
20600 S. Old Wolf Road
Mokena, IL 60448
If you prefer, you can use a credit card by going online - go to www.ppacharities.com, then on the homepage click on DONATE NOW, then click on the link for "secured, online form" and fill it out. In the Notes section, put For Gene Lista. If you wish, you can add a "respond by" date so we get it to his family ASAP. Your love and generosity will be greatly appreciated!
To learn more about Gene’s business, here’s a link to his website:
And you can read about Gene’s progress through a carepages account that has been set up through the hospital. Just follow the simple sign-in process. Together we can make a difference by helping a really wonderful guy!